Rejoice, the lights are in!

When the signal to cross appeared at the intersection of Mission and Hamilton, 91-year-old Kathy began her slow, arduous trip on her way back to the O’Malley, with her shopping cart full of her weekly supplies. She wasn’t halfway through when struck by an impatient motorist, sending Kathy and her groceries flying. Numerous people stopped to help her get up and reload what was salvageable, but the motorist kept going! They don’t make them like Kathy anymore, as she had no broken bones but was terribly bruised.

Amber Waldref was on the City Council at the time, and met with a group of O’Malley residents: the O’Malley houses seniors and individuals with disabilities. We begged Amber to intercede for our residents, the St. Aloysius Elementary School three blocks west from Hamilton, and Gonzaga students who have to use that intersection regularly.

Kathy has been gone nearly ten years now, and we finally got new lights! So we thank Amber for trying do hard and our city of Spokane for finally making the intersection safer for everyone! Before now, making a left turn was almost impossible without taking one’s life into their hands. Drivers often didn’t survive the turn and in the fifteen years I’ve lived here I couldn’t begin to count the accidents at that intersection.

So now, city of Spokane, please continue to work to make all intersections safe for the young, the old and those who have a difficult time getting from one place to another. And again, thank you!

Sister Julie Wokasch

Spokane